1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a disc drive, and more particularly, to a method of automatically ejecting a disc from a disc player.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the prior art, apparatuses automatically ejecting a tape if a program has terminated have been described. The apparatuses automatically ejecting a tape determine whether playback of the tape has terminated by counting the number of circulations of a supply reel and a take-up reel, or by detected tension and operating an unloading device when playback of the tape has terminated, thereby automatically ejecting the tape.
However, there are not methods or apparatuses for automatically ejecting a disc when playback of a certain title has terminated. In a conventional disc player, ejection of a disc is performed either by using an eject button installed in the disc player or by driving an unloading device in a case of emergency. Whether a program has terminated, or not, on a disc in a disc player cannot be determined as with a tape. The desires of the user can be fulfilled only by using an eject button.
Applications related to an apparatus for ejecting a disc using an eject button, such as U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,887,254, 4,701,902, 5,506,828, 5,438,674, 5,673,244, and 5,524,104 and Korean Patent Publication Nos. 1998-4643 and 1998-4644, have been published.
However, these applications only describe apparatuses ejecting a driven disc using an eject button.
For compact discs, e.g., CD-ROMs, VIDEO-CDs, and DVDs, on which a title, or titles, are recorded, it is desirable to automatically eject a disc after playback of a designated title has terminated. As used herein, “title” refers to a segment of information recorded on the disc, for example, a movie recorded on a DVD.
In addition, in places of business, such as DVD viewing stores, whose number is increasing in the marketplace, an apparatus or method informing an employee whether a title being viewed has terminated is required in order to facilitate the circulation of customers. For example, in a DVD viewing store, DVD players are mounted at the front counter, and a title played back on a DVD player can be viewed in a room assigned to the respective DVD player that is mounted at the front counter. However, current players and methods do not inform an employee operating the players at the counter whether the title being viewed has terminated. Thus, even though the playback of the title being viewed has terminated, the termination cannot be recognized at the counter.
As a result, it is not easily known when the customers, who are in a room in which a title being viewed has terminated, should leave, and when new customers should enter. Thus, it is difficult to increase profits by increasing the circulation of customers.